McLaren's Lando Norris has struck again towards team-mate Oscar Piastri by taking his fourth pole of the 2025 Formulation 1 season on the Belgian Grand Prix.
Norris noticed title rival Piastri take pole for the dash race on the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, and completed behind his team-mate throughout Saturday's 15-lap contest. However the Briton then went on to clinch his first-ever Belgian pole within the afternoon to arrange an intriguing McLaren battle on Sunday.
Norris drew first blood within the deciding top-10 shootout by advantage of a 1m40.562s lap, the one driver to enhance on his finest Q2 time on that first salvo of runs as observe temperatures elevated.
Norris' lap was nearly two tenths faster than team-mate and title rival Piastri and an enormous 5 tenths higher than Pink Bull's Max Verstappen, who was working a used set of softs that could not present the identical stage of grip.
Verstappen began with an enormous slide out of La Supply on his second run, which arrange a lap that proved slower than his first effort and meant he was pipped to 3rd by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by a mere 0.003s.
The McLarens have been up subsequent, however Norris' battle to enhance opened a window of alternative for Piastri. However the Australian championship chief might solely shave a tenth off his finest lap, guaranteeing Norris clinched his fourth pole of 2025 to attract stage together with his McLaren team-mate's tally.
Behind Leclerc and Verstappen, Alex Albon excelled with a fifth beginning berth for Williams, defeating George Russell who could not go faster than his finest Q2 run. Yuki Tsunoda delivered his finest Pink Bull efficiency but by taking seventh, three tenths behind Verstappen, forward of Racing Bulls duo Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, in addition to spectacular Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.
Nonetheless, for the second day in a row, Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli did not be part of that shootout and have been once more eradicated in Q1.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photograph by: Steven Tee / LAT Photos by way of Getty Photos
Having come below strain from automobiles vastly bettering round him, Hamilton discovered a late enchancment to seventh because the Q1 chequered flag fell.
However the Ferrari driver noticed his time deleted because of marginally crossing observe limits on the prime of Raidillon, together with his first lap time demoting the seven-time world champion into the elimination zone in sixteenth.
Hamilton was joined in being eradicated by Alpine's Franco Colapinto, Antonelli – who once more struggled for tempo – and a disappointing Aston Martin duo Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
The session started with a pitlane skirmish as Nico Hulkenberg was despatched out into the trail of Stroll in a busy pit exit queue, with Hulkenberg damaging his entrance wing earlier than being summoned to the stewards to debate an unsafe launch name.
Each Haas drivers had proven flashes of tempo however Esteban Ocon missed out on a spot in Q3 by a mere 0.02s whereas Oliver Bearman was additionally eradicated having suffered an enormous slide popping out of the fast double right-hander of Pouhon on his first flyer.
Additionally out in Q2 have been Alpine's Pierre Gasly, Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz.
F1 Belgian Grand Prix – Qualifying outcomes
On this article
Be the primary to know and subscribe for real-time information e-mail updates on these subjects
